SAN FRANCISCO — — First, Draymond Green defended Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jonathan Kuminga had a few chances, then Golden State coach Steve Kerr turned to rookie Tracye Jackson-Davis for a while.
Jackson-Davis had studied the Bucks big man and his tendencies: how he “drives left and comes back right” then attacks the basket.
Back at full strength for the first time in months, Golden State gave Antetokounmpo all kinds of looks while showing off its depth and talented bench.
Stephen Curry had 29 points, Kuminga scored 20 and the Warriors ran away from Milwaukee for a 125-90 victory Wednesday night, handing the Bucks their first loss since the All-Star break.
“He’s a great player, he’s difficult to guard. In our defense, we tried to contain him,” Jackson-Davis said. “I’ve never faced anyone like him with such length.”
After trailing by 20 at halftime, Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard went on a 19-5 run to start the third and put the Bucks back in the game — but Curry, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, s is back to work.
Jackson-Davis had 15 points along with four of Golden State’s season-high 13 blocked shots to tie his own career high. Kuminga hit three more.
Antetokounmpo, who missed Monday night’s home win against the Clippers because of left Achilles tendinitis, had 23 points and seven rebounds after being questionable before the game.
“It takes a village to guard this guy and we definitely needed everyone,” Kerr said.
Lillard finished with 20 points on five 3-pointers and six assists in his first game at Chase Center since being traded by the rival Trail Blazers to the Bucks last October. Bobby Portis also scored 20 for the Bucks.
Green made two 3-pointers late in the game and finished with 12 points while Klay Thompson contributed 10 points off the bench as the Warriors led 78-58 at halftime, their largest lead of the season. intermission this season.
Milwaukee had the league’s best defensive rating since the All-Star break, but suffered its first loss during that span after reeling off six straight wins out of the break – keeping opponents under 110 points during this streak and below 100 in four of those games. .
“I really didn’t think it was our defense, I thought it was our offense,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I didn’t think we played solid offense all night.”
The Bucks missed a chance to match their season-best winning streak at seven, run from Dec. 11-23. Milwaukee had won eight of 10 and beat the Warriors at home 129-118 on January 13.
Golden State started 11 of 16 with Curry hitting his first five shots with two 3s and the Warriors scored 40 points in the first quarter for the second time this season, their ninth 40-point quarter overall. Their 15 points in the third matched a season low for any quarter.
Golden State outscored the Bucks 32-9 in the fourth.
The Bucks hadn’t been held to nine points or fewer in a quarter since scoring just eight in the first against Miami on Dec. 22, 2018 — and hadn’t been held to nine points or fewer in the final period since they scored nine against Toronto. on February 2, 2015, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Warriors bounced back after losing 140-88 at Boston on Sunday with Curry going 2 of 13 and 0 of 9 from 3-point range.
Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins returned from a four-game absence to deal with a family matter and played just 14 minutes as the Warriors won for the 14th time in 18 games.
During a timeout in the second quarter, the Warriors recognized former general manager Bob Myers while working on the show, with his three daughters taking part in the festivities.
FOLLOWING
Bucks: Continue their four-game trip to California against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday night.
Warriors: Host the Bulls on Thursday night to complete a home rematch.
——
APNBA:
